Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become a Junior Coach?
Download and fill out the Junior Coach application form and email it to Coach Alec Heiskanen at [email protected]
/receeva/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/junior-coach-application_066040.docx
How well do I need to be able to swim in order to join the team?
The rules for Old Dominion Swim League state that a swimmer needs to be able to swim one length of the pool in order to swim in the meets. The coaches will not enter a child in a meet until they feel that he/she is ready and able to swim one length of the pool. It is best to contact the coaches and to discuss your child's readiness.
What kind of swim league is the team part of?
We are part of the Old Dominion Swim League. ODSL is developmentally competitive and everyone is offered the chance to swim in every meet, if he/she can swim one length of the pool unassisted. We have friendly scored dual meets against other local neighborhoods with events (races) broken down by gender and age. Our primary focus is for the kids to become a better swimmer in all 4 of the competitive strokes while having a fun summer with their friends.
How are the age groups broken down for the races at a meet?
Boys 5-6Boys 7-8
Boys 9-10
Boys 11-12
Boys 13-14
Boys 15-18
Girls 5-6
Girls 7-8
Girls 9-10
Girls 11-12
Girls 13-14
Girls 15-18
How long is the summer swim season?
Swim Team starts right after Memorial Day and goes until the end of July.
Do boys have to wear the little “Speedo” swimsuits?
No, our boys wear swim trunks called swim jammers and they come down almost to your knees.
Is my child too young or too old?
The swim team is open to all children from age 5 and up to and including 18 year olds. Our Swim League rules state that your child must be 5 years old by June 15 to join. This is a great summer sport for your teenager, because although he/she might know how to swim freestyle, a lot of older kids need practice with the other three strokes.
My child won his/her race. Why didn't s/he get the blue first place ribbon?
Your child may have won his/her heat but may not have won the event. For example, Johnny is a 6 year old. He is swimming in the 6 and under Freestyle race, Event number 1. The pool has 6 lanes. There are 12 children swimming the race. The first 6 children to swim are in HEAT 1 of EVENT 1 - Boys 6 and Under 25 meter Freestyle. The second 6 children are in HEAT 2 of EVENT 1 - Boys 6 and Under 25 meter Freestyle. Once all the heats for that event have been completed, the swimmers are ranked from fastest to slowest. The top 6 times from all heats are awarded a place ribbon, the remaining children receive participation ribbons.
What is the difference between the "Divisional Meet" and the "All-Stars Invitational Meet"?
Both of these end-of-season meets offer a great opportunity for your child to swim against lots of other swimmers in the league in a big meet setting. The All-Star Invitational Meet is at the end of the regular season. All swimmers must qualify for this meet by swimming faster than the All Star cutoff times set for each event. The cutoff times will be determined this year, after the first two meets for the league and these times will be announced later. This meet has a restricted number of swimmers per event. A swimmer may swim 3 individual events (as long as they have qualified for each event) and the IM (again, if they qualified for it). The Divisional Meet is for all children who do not qualify for the All-Star Invitational meet. It is an opportunity for kids to see how they stack up against other swimmers in the league. It is an open meet which means that there is no cutoff time. This meet is only open to those kids who did not qualify to swim the All-Star invitational meet. At most, a swimmer may swim 2 individual events and the IM.
